Nine Naturals: Because once you go all natural while pregnant, it’s hard to go back to crappy shampoo

I still remember the day I learned about sulfates, parabens, and phthalates and what they can do to unborn babies. I waddled into my bathroom, read the ingredients of my favorite products, shook my fist at nasty chemicals and the companies that put them in shampoo, and ran out to buy beauty supplies that were healthy and safe for pregnancy.

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We first covered Nine Naturals when they debuted in 2009, and we jumped at the chance to try their new formulations for hair and body. The entire idea behind the company is that women shouldn’t have to choose between products that deliver results and are safe for women in all stages of motherhood, from pregnancy to nursing and beyond.

And you know what? Since then, knowing what I know, even now that I’m not pregnant, I still think I deserve better than the possible health complications from the junk in my shower. But I deserve products that make me look awesome, too.

Mamas, we shouldn’t have to compromise. And we don’t have to.

I tried the Nine Naturals Pregnancy Travel Gift Set, and I can gladly say that I loved everything in it. The Citrus + Mint Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner replicated the tingling scalp and crisp scent from that bargain shampoo I used to love, and my hair was left soft, shiny, and manageable without the limp, oily feel I get from some natural products.

I must admit the Mandarin + Ginger Restorative Conditioner was my favorite of the two conditioners, but that’s mainly because it smells exactly like an Orange Julius–or Frosted Orange, if you’re familiar with the Varsity. Of course you have to like sweet scents, but I do. The other scents were quite nice too, and the Vanilla + Geranium Regenerative Belly Butter smoothed on thick, sunk into my skin, and left me smelling like a cupcake.

Besides the fact that the products work and smell fantastic, the ingredients are the real star. Nine Naturals offers an Ingredient Glossary so you know exactly what the complicated names mean, where they come from, and why they’re in there. And most of the ingredients are familiar, anyway: water, aloe, jojoba oil, and essential oils are stars. There are no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, BPA, triclosan, DEA, petrochemicals, or anything artifical. Ever.

When you consider that most salon brands are chock-full of the nasties listed above and ring in well over $20 a bottle, it’s impressive that Nine Naturals products are comparable in price. It can be easy to take care of yourself indulgently while pregnant for the baby’s sake and then go right back to whatever’s cheap and easy, but you deserve products just as clean and healthy once the baby’s out in the world. And nobody complains when mama smells like cupcakes and an Orange Julius, either.-Delilah